Swinging-door or gate-opening mechanism



2 Sheets-Sheet l A. CERVENY- SWINGING DOOR 0R GATE OPENING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 9, 1922 FIG. 1

FIG. 5.

ShegL-s-Sheet 2 A. C ERVENY Filed Nov. 9 1922 SWINGING DOOR OR GATE OPENING MECHANISM J FIG Y I 11 ll! Nov. 11, 1924- Patented Nov. 11, 1924.

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ANTON CERVENY, OF BELLEWOO'D, ILLINOIS.

SWINGING-DOOR OR GATE-OPENING MECHANISM.

Application filed November 9, 1922.

, following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements 1n swinging door or gate opening mechanisms, and has particular reference to the provision of simple and improved means for opening swinging doors or gates automatically by the weight of a vehicle approaching said gate operating a depressible platform.

The primary object of the invention is to generally simplify and improve devices of the above kind whereby the same may be readily placed into practical use.

With these generalobjects in view and others that will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination. and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming a partof this application and in which like designating characters refer to corresponding parts throughout the several views Fi 1 is a transverse sectional view taken on line I-I of Fig. 8 and showing the present invention embodied in mechanism associated with a swinging gate,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken upon line IIII of Fig. 3,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view partly broken away of a gate mechanism constructed in accordance with the present invention,

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken on line IVIV of Fig. 2 partly broken away,

Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the operating lever and gearing of the mechanism partly broken away,

Fig. 6 illustrates a latching means WhlCll may be provided for holding the gate in open position, and

Serial No. 599,849.

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 6.

Referring more in detail to the several views, the present invention is shown associated with a swinging gate 5 of a fence construction 6, although the invention may be utilized in connection with swinging closures of all kinds such as barn doors or the like.

In accordance with the present invention the gate 5 is provided with a vertical shaft 7 by means of which the gate is pivotally mounted at one end for horizontal swinging movement when associated with the brackets 8 of ordinary form, and the shaft 7 depends below the bottom of the gate 5 and enters a suitable large casing 9 which is sunk into the ground so that the top wall 10 of said casing lies flush with the ground line, as shown clearly in Fig. 1. The gate post 11 adjacent the shaft 7 sup ports a suitable bracket 12 which projects inwardly through a slot 13 provided in the adjacent side wall of the casing 9, and thisv bracket 12 has the lower end of the shaft 7 journaled therein while the inner free end of one arm of the bracket is upturned as at 14 to provide a slide rest for a horizontal swinging lever 15 which has its inner end pivoted as at 16 upon a suitable post or standard 17 mounted within and upon the bottom of the casing 9. A suitable bur pinion 18 is fixed upon the lower end of the shaft 7 and meshes with a segment gear 19 which is rigid upon the free adjacent end of the lever 15, the segment gear 19 being of slightly curved rack bar form and it will thus be seen that when the lever 15 is swung in one direction, the pinion 18 will be to tated together with the shaft 7 for opening the gate 5.

In order that the approaching; vehicle may automatically open the gate upon approach to the latter, the lever 15 is prop erly operatively connected to a normally raised spring pressed platform 20 over which the vehicle must pass in approaching the gate.

In the preferred form the platform ZO is preferably hinged along its edge which. is

farthest from the gate 5, and is provided with a cleat 21 at its opposite edge to which are attached a plurality of depending guide rods which project downwardly through suitable openings 23 in the top wall of the casing 9 and which are slidably disposed through further openings provided in transverse guide bar 24L which is suitably mounted horizontally beneath the top wall 10 of the casing upon angle brackets 2. 3. Each guide rod 22 is surrounded by a helical iompression spring 26, one end of which bears upon the upper surface of the guide bar 24: and the other end of which bears against the under surface of the cleat 21. In this manner the platform is normally held raised at its inner or free edge and with uniform distribution of spring pressure from side to side thereof.

Centrally of the cleat 21 another rod 27 is secured, and this rod depends from the cleat through alined openings in the top wall 10 and the guide bar at and has its lower end in contact with the upper surface of the adjacent end of the bell crank lever 28 which is pivoted on asuitable bracket 29 for vertical swinging movement, the bracket 29 being suitably fixed upon the bottom casing 9. The arm of the lever 28 which engages the lower end of the rod 27 is preferably longer than the arm of said lever which projects toward the lever 15, and the latter arm is connected to the lever 15 by means of a pull rod or link 30 with the point of attachment of the link 30 with the lever 15 between the ends of the latter lever.

In operation, the vehicle will depress the platform 20 and cause downward movement of the rod 27 while compressing the springs 26 so that bell crank lever 28 is swung upon its pivot from the full line position of Fig. 2 to the dotted line position thereof and through the link 30, a pull towards the vehicle is exerted upon the lever 15 so as to cause opening movement of the gate 5 through the gearing described. As soon as the vehicle leaves the platform 20, the springs 26 will exert their force to return the platform again to raised position and to allow the gate to immediately swing closed. The swinging of the gate toclosed position automatically may be accomplished by slightly tilting the shaft 7 so that the same is not truly vertical.

In case it is desired to retain the gate 5 in open position, the said gate may be provided with a suitable form of spring pressed latch 31 at its free end engageable with a keeper 32 mounted upon a post 33 which is positioned at one side of the casing 9, the arrangement being such that the gate will not quite swing open far enough to engage the latch 31 with the keeper 32 upon operation of the platform 20, but a slight further manual pull of the gate toward open position will effect this latching relation between the latch 31 and the keeper 32 for the purpose referred to. A suitable cleat 34 which is best seen in Fig. 3 may be proing below the latter, a casing adapted to be,

mounted with its top wall flush with the door line of the closure and into which said shaft projects, a pinion upon the lower end of said shaft within the casing, a bracket within the casing having the shaft jour-. naled therein, a horizontally swinging lever pivoted at one end upon a vertical axis with in the casing and having a rack bar of arcuate form rigid upon the other end there of in mesh with said pinion, said bracket forming a slide rest for said rack bar, a spring raised depressible platform, and operative connections between said platform ands-aid lever including a link connected to the lever intermediate its ends, a horizontal guide bar fixed transversely in the casing, said operative connections embodying a plurality of guide rods fixed to the platform and slidably projecting through the top of the casing and said guide bar, and helical compression springs interposed between the guide bar and the platform and each encircling one of said guide rods.

2. In combination with a horizontally swinging closure having a vertical pivot shaft fixed to one end thereof and depending below the latter; a casing adapted to be mounted with its top wall flush with the floor line of the closure and into which said shaft projects, a pinion upon the lower end of said shaft within the casing, a bracket within the casing having the shaft journaled thereim a horizontally swinging lever pivoted at one end upon a vertical axis within the casing and having a rack bar of ar cuate form rigid upon the other end thereof in mesh with said pinion, said bracket forming a slide rest for said rack bar. a spring raised depressible platform. operative connections between said platform and said lever including a link connected to the lever intermediate its ends, a horizontal guide bar fixed transversely in the casing, said operative connections embodying a plurality of guide rods fixed to the platform and slidably projecting through the top of the top of the casing and the guide bar, and the casing and said guide bar, helical c01na bell crank lever upon one end of which pression springs interposed between the said last named guide rod bears and the 10 guide bar and the platform and each encirother end of which is connected to said first cling one of said guide rods, said operative named lever.

connections further including a still fur In testimony whereof I affix my signature. ther guide rod slidably extending through ANTON CERVENY. 

